Silver Bullets
by EowynAhsokaLover
Summary: A western AU. The Bat's allies are all worn out from battling against evil, so new heroes must arise. But will the Robin, the Green Rider, the Wind of the West, the Boy of Steel, Stars, Kaldur'ahm, and Red Arrow be able to create a united front? Rating and pairings subject to change.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **My long awaited Wild West AU is finally (kinda) here. Or at least the prologue is. Please tell me what you think and then whether you would prefer me to get far along in the story before I start posting chapters (consistent, but will probably take a long time) or post what I have when I have it (inconsistent). Thanks a bunch. Vocabulary is at the bottom.

* * *

Prologue

"Bruce, have you seen these reports?" Richard Grayson, adopted son of one of Gotham's City most prestigious city leaders, dropped a stack of paper's on his caretaker's desk.

Bruce Wayne looked up from a brown study. "Those are the reports about the thumping amount of varmits showing up recently?"

Richard nodded and sat down across the desk from Bruce. "Doing anything about it?"

Bruce shook his head. "You know just as well as I do that everyone's too dragged out."

"Not everyone."

"Who isn't then? The Man of Steel? He's just got his plow cleaned by Luthor. Queen's too occupied by his Lance. Diana-"He fell silent. Bruce had been living tally with the woman for a month, but they had recently had a big fight. The stubborn woman had returned to her home with Amazons, where he could not contact her. Richard sometimes wondered if he was actually more upset than Bruce over Diana's departure—Selina had never been one of his favorites of Bruce's lady friends.

"Do you remember the plan we discussed a few months ago?" Bruce nodded slowly. "I know you aren't completely happy with it, but everyone is someone you can tie to."

"I have been thinking about it."

"And?" Richard leaned toward Bruce in anticipation.

"Let fly with your plan."

* * *

**Vocab: **

brown study: deep thought

thumping: great, large

varmit: vermin-though in this case, not small animals

too dragged out: tired

let fly: go ahead

if anyone finds western slang for lady friends let me know; I couldn't find any at the time


	2. Chapter 1

Artemis had tracked his trail for weeks, months even, and now she was sure that it was this man. He showed the usual symptoms: disheveled hair, unsightly eating habits, and exceptional height especially when compared to the others in this area.

Once confirming there was no one in sight, Artemis shimmied down the Nettletree. She started on her way to the hotel she was staying at until her business here was finished; the full moon wasn't for another week, so she was stuck in this burg for now.

A male voice just behind her started speaking and its owner laid a hand on her shoulder, but by then it was far too late for him, for she already turned around and quickly had him pinned against a tree trunk.

He whistled, "Well, chica, you just won me a bet that you weren't no normal piece of calico."

"You know me? How?"

"It's hard not to notice when a new pretty thing walks into the saloon."

"You sparrow-catchin, or just a whoremonger?"

"Neither, but I'd appreciate it if you took a shining to me."

Slowly, Artemis let him go. "Better luck next time. Now who are you, and why-"

Grinning down at her, he took of his stetson and bowed low. "Wallace West at your service, ma'am, an' I was merely welcomin' you to the neighborhood."

She watched in distaste as he rose. Her job aside, she had never been one for soft soap. "Well, Mr. West, it was nice to make your acquaintance, but I must be going."

"Now wait. I feel I at least owe ya a drink for being skeersome."

"Don't kid yourself." She paused; it was awfully hot. "What d'ya have?"

He grinned a challenge. "Normally I serve Arbuckle's, but I'd expect a dude would prefer somethin' more refined."

"Is your coffee good?" The coffee served at the saloon was sappy, and at this point she'd give anything for a good cup, even if it meant more interaction with him.

He drew himself up, indignant. "My six-shooter coffee is fine as cream gravy."

Artemis watched Wallace West as he prepared the promised coffee. His diggings were rather large for a single man, even he did have different means then the average man out west. "What's the catch? You batching it, or is this fancy place just for a left-handed wife?"

He placed a hand on his heart. "You do me wrong, chica. I'm just a gentleman trying to make his way in the world. There anything wrong with inheriting from one's dead parents?"

Artemis winced. Death was a universal fact of life, but reminding him of his dead parents wasn't her intention in their meeting, even if he too would meet his maker before a fortnight had passed. "No."

"What about you? Few honest women have your...talents or permission from their man to travel about so freely. Are you a California widow?"

"No man holds sway over me except the lord above."

"Your pa's dead?"

She laughed. "I'd sooner see him in a California collar than listen to him."

"Oh? That's rough." Sitting down across from her, he handed her a mug, filled to top with coffee.

She sipped, slowly. "I must thank you, Mr. West. It's been awhile since I've had better coffee."

"Please, call me Wally."

"Artemis."

He whistled. "No man indeed. But what kinda man would name his daughter after a hunting goddess."

"Only the worst sort."

He stared at her for a few moments. "Then it's not so unlikely for him to get a California collar?"

She smirked. "Unfortunately, he's too clever to be caught by the average bull."

"No? What about you? You ever help him?"

She glared at him, narrowing her eyes. He, a beast, dare accuse her of crime. "I'd never help or harbor a criminal. Especially him."

"D'ya know who I am?"

She supposed that the locals knew that he rode out of town every morning, but she knew his type. Even though they probably thought he was riding out to the usual cowboy's job, she had tracked him and knew that he left his horse just outside the outskirts of the town. Unfortunately, due to avoiding detection, she wasn't sure where he disappeared to nor what he did. She settled for a safe answer for someone who hadn't been in town long. "No."

"I'm one of the best bulls out there. One that could probably catch your dear ol' pa." She sniffed. That was awfully presumptuous. Back home, the Bat couldn't even catch her father, and she doubted Wally West could even come close. "An' one, that despite your best efforts Artemis, discovered your hideout in my tree, and I want to know why you've been following me."

"Damn!" She cursed and tried to get up, but he had already trapped her wrists in an iron grip.

"Well, if you ain't helpin' your pa, why are ya watching me? I'm waiting Artemis."

She glared daggers at him. "Let me go, you filthy lycan!" His eyes widened, and she felt his grip loosen. To complete his state of shock, she leaned over and planted her lips on his. Her own eyes widened when he started returning the kiss, but she took advantage of his slack hold on her and brought her fists up to slam against his jaw. Palming his temple for good measure, she took off, cursing her ill luck.

* * *

Stupid. So stupid. And Artemis didn't need her sister there to tell her so. She just had to have that damn cup of coffee didn't she.

She came to a stop as she reached the town's combined jail and sheriff's office. Just as the few men on the porch opened their mouths to start cat-calling, she adjusted her holster so it could be clearly seen on her hip. The men fell silent, and she smirked as she walked up the front steps. "Good day, gentlemen."

The shade of the sheriff's office provided needed relief from the hot sun. "Sheriff."

"Miss Crock."

The sheriff was a curiosity. He was black, but his position wasn't as unusual out here than it would have been further east (even though Artemis was a mestizo herself, she looked European enough and used her father's name). It was the respect he received from the townpeople that was rare. In asking around, she had gathered that he was cool and collected and kind, as well as an optimist (rare in the wild west) with pragmatic streak that prevented him from doing anything crazy. Doubtless, he had many mysteries of his own, but that was something for the Bat or his birdie, and she wasn't about to report someone for being good at their job. "I need my warrant back."

"What went wrong?" Unlike the lycan's voice which was almost vibrating with energy, the sheriff's voice was calm and steady, not unlike water, and not at all the kind of voice to use local colloquialisms.

"I was found out by my target."

"What are you going to do now? As much as I disliked agreeing to that warrant, I like the idea of a lycan remaining here even less." It was true that the warrant she had given him for the lycan's end wasn't strictly legal. But it was issued by the infamous bat and no small town sheriff was going to deny his will.

"I'm lighting a shuck as soon as I get out of your office. He's a dangerous man, sheriff."

"You wouldn't be willing to tell me who the lycan is, you would? I could have my men...take care of him for you."

"Sorry, the information's confidential. We can't risk someone being bit during your operation."

"I understand. I'm sorry your mission was unsuccessful." He opened a drawer in his desk and handed her a sheet of paper.

"It ain't unsuccessful, yet."

"Then what's your next plan."

Artemis slid the paper down her blouse. "I'll wait awhile till he forgets about me. Then, I'm thinking I'll doll myself up like a painted lady and come back to this burg."

The sheriff's eyebrows shot up. "That's...very dedicated of you."

"It is pretty degrading for an angelica like myself, but it's in the name of justice. My sister does it a lot more anyway."

"Is your sister...like you?"

"No, she just...likes having fun."

Artemis bowed, "Excuse me, sheriff, but I've got to leave fast. Usually, I'd ask no adds, but my horse's thrown a shoe, so I need another."

The sheriff nodded and opened a window onto the front porch. "Greg, get one of your horses for Miss Crock, one that won't bake easily." Looking back at Artemis, he said, "Greg is my deputy. He is as good with horses as any bronc buster."

"Like the sound of him."

* * *

She watched as the dark haired deputy led a buckskin horse to her from the sheriff's stables. From the look of it, the horse was gelding. Artemis could almost feel the saddle sores she would have in a few days; she'd grown too used to riding mares, even if the gelding wasn't that big. "One o' the finest horses I have. His name's Niyol."

"His name's Navajo."

"Hard to escape 'em out here."

She examined the deputy, standing there with his hand on the horse, before finally making a decision. "I've got a bay mare in the hotel's stable. She's thrown a shoe, but she's a good horse. Her name's Leto. You may use her 'til I come back with this beauty."

"I'm honored, Miss."

Artemis nodded to him, then mounted Niyol. She wheeled him around to face the burg's northern outskirts; she didn't need to go back to the hotel because she had her essentials and she'd paid the hotel manager to lock up the rest of her stuff. If he went back on his word after she paid him so much...he would be in trouble.

She brought the horse into a gallop quickly, soon leaving the the town's outskirts. She was heading toward one of Queen's safe houses. He didn't have many on this side of the Mississippi, but she was lucky enough to be only a couple days ride away.

If the Bat was her boss, then Queen was her sponsor, paying for all of her equipment and occasionally providing intel. Queen's Lance, the Canary, had become a second mother to Artemis, building on the teaching her father taught her.

"Wait!" Instinctively, Artemis did the opposite, pressing her heels into Niyal so he would go faster. Only then did she look behind her to see the scarlet-haired, emerald eyed barber's clerk from earlier in the day.

She drew her gun, the one filled with lead bullets, not the precious silver. "West! What do you want?"

"If you think I'm a lycan, you're not going to shoot. It wouldn't do any good."

He was right, but she still bluff; few knew all but the lore, even the lycans themselves, "I can incapacitate you."

He threw his head back and laughed. She didn't care. "If you believe that then I'm over estimating your sense. Could you even land a shot on a moving target with that lead-pusher?"

Narrowing her eyes at the challenge, she shot a bullet that just barely missed his ear and ducked underneath a passing branch, hoping he wouldn't see it in enough time to duck.

Her eyes widened as he ducked, lightening quick with almost a lazy smirk plastered on his face. "Well, you certainly can shoot, chica. But as I said before, won't do you much good if I am a lycan." His smirk was mocking and she wished she could shoot it off of him. "I'm not a lycan."

"You are."

"Am not."

She ignored him, putting her next plan into action. His horse, despite being the same stallion he rode every day, didn't have much endurance and was already tiring. Artemis took advantage of this, aiming at the horses feet and shooting.

She took advantage of the bucking horse and spurred Niyal even faster. "Just a little longer Niyal, and then we can slow. His horse will be too scared to pursue us further."

* * *

"Crock."

Artemis slid off of her horse, head high, before turning to acknowledge the speaker. "Harper." She turned away from the red-haired man and started to lead the horse away to the stable, surprised when she heard Roy Harper's footsteps following her; she didn't know why Queen's ward was here and neither did she care.

Once Niyal was settled and fed, she turned to confront Roy, watching her stable the horse from the doorway. "What do ya want, half-breed?"

He smirked at the slur. "Like you're any better, Four-flusher."

She bowed, sneering up at him. "Artemis Crock at your service, Roy Harper. Now, what do you want?"

"The Bat sent you a letter."

She frowned. Usually the Bat waited for her to send in her full report on the last mission before he sent her a new one. "New mission assignment?"

He shrugged. "I guess. I don't go searching through other people's business."

"And you called me the liar. But what's the catch? Normally, ya wouldn't stick around for me to arrive. I know how much you detest me."

"I got a letter too. Same day."

She scowled, eyes wide. "He's not—he doesn't want us to partner together for a mission, does he?" Partner up with Roy for a mission? She'd rather become a painted lady.

"Worse."

"What could be worse?"

He glared at her. "Many things. But this time, it's a team."

Turning her head up to the ceiling, she barked a laugh. "Really? He really wants us to team up with other vigilantes? I'm sure that will end well."

Suddenly, Roy was very close to her, looming over her shorter body. "Listen, if I get word that you've been seen with your pa's crowd-"

Growling, she pushed him aside and started stalking out of the stable. "I've told you afore, Harper, I'd rather die than help to that son of a bitch. Also, don't worry about me associating with you. I have my own reputation to preserve."

Artemis fell into a wood chair and placed her feet on the table. Roy, leaning against the kitchen's counter holding a whiskey bottle, snorted. "Very ladylike."

"If I were ever to behave ladylike, it wouldn't be for you, Harper." She ripped the envelop open and unfolded the letter inside. She quickly scanned the letter, her face souring. "What does the Bat think he's doing, making a team?"

Roy shrugged. "I don't know, but what the Bat says, goes. I think the Robin put him up to it actually." The Robin was the Bat's accomplice. Among their kind, rumors were rampant about the Robin's origins. That he was the Bat's illegitimate son, a Canadian from across the border, a refugee from Europe, or a hobo. Anyone who met the Robin (and Artemis had) could tell that he was Gotham-bred at any rate, and she could tell he wasn't the Bat's son. He was way too sociable.

"But I'm on a mission right now."

"That mission that you dished, you mean."

"I'm still tying up loose ends. I don't have time for amateurs."

"You're the amateur here, Artemis."

She glared at him. "Amateur? I was raised for this life."

He smirked. "You were raised to be one of them. The people you now hunt. You weren't raised to be a hunter."

Her lip twisted up into an ugly snarl. "You watch what you say, Harper."

He smiled mockingly. "So, what are you going to do?"

"About this team? It's as you said: what the Bat says, goes."

* * *

**Glossary:**

burg-town

piece of calico-girl/woman

sparrow catching-courting

whoremonger-man who frequents prostitutes

shining-liking

soft soap-flattery

skeersome-frightful

Arbuckle's-coffee

dude-easterner, or else someone well dressed/fancy

sappy-weak

six-shooter-strong coffee

fine as cream gravy-good; impressive

diggings-home

batching-living w/o wife or mother; single man living alone

left-handed wife-mistress

California widow-woman whose husband left her to move California

California collar-noose

bull-officer of the law

lighting a shuck-get the hell out of here

painted lady-prostitute

angelica-young, unmarried woman

bronc buster-cowboy who tamed horses

barber's clerk-A conceited, over-dressed fellow who trys to act like a "gentleman."

lead-pusher-gun

half-breed-racial slur referring to Roy's Native American ancestry

four-flusher-liar;cheat

**If I missed one please let me know. I hope you enjoyed**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** ARGH! I'm sorry this took so long to come out. No amount of prostrating on my part will relieve my guilt. Nonetheless, here is the next chapter. And I apologize sincerely for not replying to some of the reviews, earlier, but they do make me happy. Glossary is at the bottom of the chapter as usual. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Please Enjoy.

* * *

"Cal?"

Cal Durham smiled at his wife sitting at their kitchen table. "Tula."

"You're home early. May I get you anything?" She started to stand up, but Cal shook his head.

"I'm fine." He placed his hat on the table and kissed the top of her head before sitting down. "How was your day?"

"Uneventful. The tomatoes will be ready to harvest soon. We'll be in trouble if it doesn't rain soon, though."

"That's not a big change here."

"No." She smiled. "I did get a letter from Garth. He said he'd be visiting soon."

Garth was a childhood friend of both Cal and Tula. They hadn't seen him since they moved west, soon after the end of the war. "It will be nice to see him again."

Tula hesitated for a moment before continuing. "You…you got a letter too."

"From Arthur?" Aside from Garth, Arthur Curry was the couple's main correspondent. Arthur had taken Cal in after Cal had run away from his slave master. Later, Arthur, himself an officer in the union army, had helped Cal join the fight for emancipation. They liberated New Orleans together, side by side.

"No. The Bat."

"The Bat? Not his birdie?" Cal had been contacted by the Robin before, had even met him on more than one occasion, but not the Robin's boss.

"The Bat. I…I took the liberty of reading it."

"I trust you Tula. I've trusted you for a long time. What did it say?"

"He's requesting that you meet with a few other heroes in Dakota Territory. He wants to make a team."

"A team." Cal leaned back in his chair. "I wonder who else has been invited. The Robin, naturally. Probably Wally too."

"Cal, you already have a job. You're sheriff."

"I think the Bat takes precedence over my little town."

"But you do good here. I don't want you to leave."

He looked across the table at Tula. "I know Tula. But I do think I should go, if only to find out more. The letter doesn't say that if I go to the meeting, I have to join the team?"

"No."

"When am I supposed to be there?"

"Two weeks from now."

He nodded. "I'll leave day after tomorrow. Greg can manage on his own for a couple of weeks. You know you can go to him if you need help or protection."

"I can protect myself."

"I know." Arthur had trained Tula in weapons as he had Cal. In addition, she had learned martial arts from a traveling celestial a few years ago. "Don't worry. I'll come back."

* * *

Conner punched the man in the jaw. His heightened hearing heard bones crunch. The man fell on the ground, barely moving. "Thank you. That was very brave." Conner looked to his right. The young woman he had defended was smiling up at him.

"He was being rude."

"You didn't have to do it though." She nodded to the saloon Conner had been entered when he noticed the blowhard refusing to be given the mitten from this woman. "Let me buy you a drink."

He nodded and followed her inside. They ordered their drinks, then sat down at a table in the corner of the room. "What's a dude like you doing out here in Dakota by yourself?" She may be wearing a simple calico dress, but Conner had grown up in the territories and could spot an imposter.

She smiled. "Who says I'm here by myself? My uncle's in town too, but he's doing business. Besides, we're from San Francisco, not the east coast."

"Your uncle's traveled far to do business."

"Metropolis is might far too."

"How do you know?"

"You badge fell out of your bag when you were fighting that guy, Mr. Kent." She slid the badge across the table.

"Conner."

"Megan. Megan Morse. Nice to meet you, Conner." She held out her hand. He took it and shook. "Why are you here?"

"I' m meeting some friends."

She laughed. "Funny. My story's similar." A waitress came by and gave them their drinks. "So what's Metropolis like, Conner? I was born out west. And this is the furthest east I've ever been."

Conner took a sip of his drink and began talking.

* * *

Artemis checked and rechecked her holsters before climbing out her hotel window. She had spent last night on the floor after discovering the bed had bedbugs. Usually, she hated having the pretense of staying at hotels, but it was often necessary for appearances. This hotel was the only one in the area near the meeting place the Bat had sent, but it was more of hookshop than a hotel; Artemis doubted she wasn't the only female place that wasn't a whore.

She rolled when hit the ground, breaking the fall. Cautiously, she edged around the building until she reached the side facing the forest. She could still hear the corned men shoaling outside the hotel, cat-calling all passing females. She made a sour expression. She knew that kind of men all too well. Even if her childhood had been sheltered and protected, her line of work had brought her into contact with many men all too eager to force themselves on women, whether they be ladies of the line or not. As it was, her father's own power and notoriety had been the main thing that kept Artemis safe as a child, at least after her sister left.

She started hiking through the forest, picking out the path she had decided on yesterday when she scouted out the place. Through the trees she saw a bouncing torch, which could only mean that one of her new prospective teammates wasn't smart enough to scout out the meeting place beforehand. Even Roy had scouted the area (unfortunately, she had ran into him yesterday), so there was no excuse for this sonk not to.

As she approached the center of the forest, she could see a large campfire marking the appointed meeting place. She hung back, waiting for the bouncing torch to reach the fire until she climbed a vantage point that overlooked the meeting place.

There were five people below: a black man with short blond hair dressed simply, but nicely, in trousers, a blue shirt, and black vest; an auburn haired woman in a pretty calico dress, Sunday garb for pioneers; a big, dark haired man dressed only in trousers and a black shirt; a small man dressed in black trousers, red vest, and dark frock coat with a dark bull top hat on his head; and an all too familiar scarlet-haired man dressed in trousers, a mustard yellow shirt, and suspenders.

Artemis did not know why Wally West was here, neither did she care. Doubtless, the Bat would be disappointed when he learned over her earlier failure, but here was an opportunity to settle what she had begun. She backed away from her vantage point carefully until she could turn and walk around to the campfire's other side without being seen.

She approached him from behind, silently drawing a loaded revolver from a holster. He was too absorbed in flirting with the woman to take any notice of Artemis until the barrel of her gun was against his head. "Don't move Mr. West, or my peacemaker will make sure you never do so again."

"_Chica_, I told you to call me Wally." He was fast. She was suddenly disarmed and on the ground before she registered that he had moved. Then she was back up, kicking and punching at him in turn.

"Stop! Both of you!" The command came from the well-dressed man, who on closer inspection appeared between hay and grass, the youngest in the gathered group. She stopped. It had been awhile since she had seen the Robin, but he was still recognizable up close. Wally had stopped too. "Artemis, why were you attacking Wally?"

Wally's eyes widened. "You know her! Why is she here?"

The Robin said, "She's one of us, Wally. I invited her."

Artemis turned to Wally. "What did you think I was, Mr. West? A mercenary?"

"I've never heard of an Artemis before."

She stared at him. Was he really that stupid? "Do ya really think I'd tell my title to someone who I was tracking? I'm the Green Rider. Why are you here, Mr. West?"

"I'm the Wind of the West. Who did ya think I was?"

She looked him straight in the face. "A lycan."

The group gave a collective gasp. Behind her, the Robin said, "Wally, a lycan?"

Someone laughed. "Really, Artemis. You think Wally's a lycan? I've known him for years, long before the Bat rescued you from-" Artemis drew her second revolver, pointing it Roy who had just stepped out of the darkness into the area lit by the campfire, "your daddy." He smirked at her.

Artemis started stalking toward him, but Wally got their first, running to the other red haired man. "Roy, it's been a long time. I'm glad to see you again."

"Harper, I didn't know you had friends. Ya must feel like such a fineified feller." She had reached him, barely a foot between their faces.

"I might be a bit of a loner, Artemis, but at least I'm not a four-flusher with wanted men as relatives."

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't think I haven't seen you keepin' company with my sister, Harper."

"As if-"

"Enough." Both Artemis and Roy were suddenly picked up by the large, dark haired man, the action silencing both of them.

"Yeah." The Robin walked toward them. "Let's put family differences aside and get down to business." He paused. Artemis watched him curiously. When she had met him before, he had been been very charismatic and confident. Maybe he just wasn't great with groups. The Robin nodded to the man holding them. "He's the Boy of Steel."

Artemis glanced back at him, her eyes surveying his muscular build. Softly, she muttered, "Sure doesn't look like a boy from here."

He offered a small smile to her and set both her and Roy back on the ground. "But my name's Conner, Conner Kent."

The auburn haired woman waved. "I'm Megan Morse. My hero name is Stars."

Right behind her ear, Wally whispered to her, "She is one fine piece of calico. And much nicer than you, _chica_."

She ignored him and turned her eyes to the next person in the circle. She gasped, realizing the black man was the sheriff from Keystone City. At her gasp, he turned toward her and nodded. "Yes, I am Cal Durham, the sheriff of Keystone, but my...hero name is Kaldur'ahm."

The group remained silent until Artemis glared at Roy. "You're supposed to introduce yourself, Roy."

"_Sorry._ I'm Roy Harper, or Red Arrow." He looked away from the fire at the Robin. "I suppose you need no introduction."

The Robin rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I think I'm already acquainted with everyone. And as Artemis and Wally have already introduced themselves-"

"Hold up," Artemis said, "I don't know your real name." She pointed at the Robin.

"I...the Bat doesn't want it known." The Robin shrugged.

"Oh." The group fell silent. Did the Bat really trust them so little, even though he had brought them all here today?

"But you can just call me Robin. 'The Robin' sounds so formal and well…" He gave a forced smile to the group.

"Robin it is then, my wheel-horse_._" Wally walked toward him and slung an arm around Robin's shoulders. "Now can you tell us why the Bat brought us all here. His message was pretty cryptic."

Robin nodded. "Of course." He gestured to the ground around the fire. "Please, take a seat." Most of the group sat down where they stood. Wally ran away to sit by Megan. Roy didn't sit at all, remaining where he was on the edge of the circle of light. "Since the war ended and Johnson's administration took over, there has been an increase in the vermin in the states, increased of both others—lycans, vamps, goblins, and the like—and the average outlaw." He started pacing, twisting his fingers together behind his back. "There are too many for the big gun vigilantes to handle; I know the Bat is dreadful busy, and that many others are similarly occupied. Anything they could would only be surface level. But we can do better."

Roy looked unconvinced. "How?"

"Most of ya are apprentices-"

"partners" Roy growled.

"-or partners to another vigilante. This means that while you certainly make their job easier, they are not dependent on ya. Also, since you have trained with them for years, you are better trained than the _tenderfoots_ poppin' up everywhere."

"You want us to work together to resolve this threat?" Cal Durham said.

Robin nodded.

"Well, count me out." Artemis stood up. "I don't play well with others. Besides, you've got another sharpshooter," she nodded at Roy, then started walking out of the light, ignoring the protests coming mostly from Cal and Megan.

* * *

To her surprise, Roy had followed her. Once they had gotten out of earshot of the camp, she whirled around and said, "Why the hell did ya follow me?"

He looked straight at her. "I reckon you should join the team."

"Why? Aren't you too rattled that I'm gonna turn traitor all a sudden?" When he didn't answer, she swore. "You want them ta watch over me, you bastard. Ya think they'll do a better job than you do, since you don't see me all the time."

Roy nodded. "That's only part of it."

"There's more?" She raised an eyebrow, disbelievingly.

"The team ain't gonna have another sharpshooter."

"You're not joining them. But I thought you and West were all buddy buddy?"

"I'm friends with several of those people. But I can't join. I've got things to take care of, people-"

"Family?"

He paused, but finally said, "Yes. Besides, I don't play well with others, either."

"I've noticed." A few moments passed, while Artemis considered her problem. Without Roy, the team did need her, and she could not change his mind, even if she would plea with him. She was not certain she wanted him to change his mind. "Fine!" She pointed at him, "We have a deal, but you owe me, Hotshot."

* * *

**Glossary:**

Dude-an easterner, or else someone well dressed/fancy

Hookshop-a brothel

Corned-drunk

Shoaling-to lounge about lazily

Sonk-a stupid fellow

Peacemaker-a gun

Finified-made fine, dandified

Four Flusher-liar; cheat

Wheelhorse-an intimate friend; one's right hand man

Tenderfoots-a person new to the job


End file.
